Nine West's Vintage America Collection

As evidenced by my last post, I've been planning to go into fall kicking and screaming, wearing white pants and backless tops and hiding my tights under my bed. Since June was so rainy and cold, I feel like Mother Nature owes me an extra month to wear sundresses and sandals.

But then I saw this month's Lucky, and I started to get a little excited about putting my sweaters and corduroys back into rotation. And then I saw pg. 189, which featured items from Nine West's new Vintage America Collection. Lucky is doing a giveaway of $200 gift cards to Nine West, and I'm in it to win it. So what would I blow $200 bucks on?

I'd definitely start with the Roll Tab Boyfriend Tunic, $59. Plaid continues to be a personal obsession, and I plan to rock it in full force as soon as the temperature goes below 60 degrees. This top looks perfectly cozy, and it has that "I'm too confident in my sexiness to need to show all that skin," while still being form-fitting and cute. The roll-up sleeves and bib front give it a little more character than your typical button-down. I'm digging the tunic length, although if it were dress length I might love it a little more.

Ok, so buying these boots would already put me over the $200 mark, but I don't care: I need them, I want them, oh baby, oh baby. The knee-high Fiddle Boot, $169, does a fantastic job of mixing in Western inspiration with everyday style. Having grown up in Arizona and ridden horses for half my life, I tend to be a little suspicious of anything that tries to imitate Western style. I've worn chaps, and riding boots, and spurs, and I have no desire to bring that look to the East Village. But the cowboy influence is subtle in these boots--just some silver studs up the side and a practical mini-heel. I also like how these appear to have a good amount of structure, so they won't slouch down your calves and make your legs with stumpy.

These boots would get ruined in about five minutes on a real ranch, and that just makes me love them more. The Frollic boots, $99.99, come in three luxe suede colors, and I want the lightest brown, in order to form a perfect set with the medium brown boots I already have and the black boots above, that I own in my imagination. Sure, I'd have to put in a bit of work to keep them clean from sidewalk slush and subway grime, but looking killer in suede boots is the ultimate reward.

But a girl can not live in boots alone. Enter the Coby flats, $69.00. My passion for shiny studs and girly patterns is well documented, but I have to confess that I'm digging this gunmetal green color. It's so unexpectedly pretty, and will match nearly everything while not fading into the background. I'd love to wear these with a cranberry red dress, or maybe a loose cream sweater with super skinny jeans.

Summer Under $100

Lucky Magazine has a great feature on its website right now: 50 items for summer, all under $100. Not only did they find a mostly great selection of reasonably priced clothes, shoes and accessories, but they do an excellent job of finding different ways to describe each piece. Since I started writing in this blog, I've gained a newfound appreciation for fashion writing-- it's so hard to find words beyond "cute" and "hot." I aspire to be as good at fashion blather as the Lucky writers are.

Anyway, here are a few things I'd like to add to Lucky's summer essentials.

J.Crew Rafina Espadrilles, $69.99: It's not summer until you're wearing brightly-colored espadrilles. I'd love to wear these with toenails painted a sunny yellow color, and perhaps a pure white dress. I really like that the top is tied in a knot, instead of a bow-- it's a badass element on a very girly shoe.

I obviously love madras, and I can see myself using this Madras Cabana bag, $29.99, every weekend this summer. The round bamboo handles are so fun and whimsical, and the roomy shape will be able to carry a swimsuit, sarong, sunglasses and gossip magazine-- everything you could possibly need.

My favorite thing about these cuffed short shorts, $10.49, from Target is that they're in a color called "lemonade." And I like that they're a little bit country, sort of a Daisy Duke feel with the cuffs at the bottoms.

The Embellished Strappy Dress, $29.99, from Urban Outfitters, has the soft and flirty look that should be mandatory for everything you wear during the summer. The teal color will make you think of a refreshing mountain lake, and the faux-Indian totem pole embroidery will make you happy to be outside and not wasting away in an Indian casino.

Old Navy has a ton of fun, cheap jewelry that you can wear to the beach and not really care if it falls out in the ocean. Like this set of three drop stone bangles, $7.50, that'll glam up any old bathing suit.

Speaking of swimsuits: I have this theory that they started selling tops and bottoms separately in order to charge more, not to "create a more customized fit" for girls who may have big boobs and small butts. But on the other hand, not having to buy a swimsuit as a set allows you to do a little mix and matching, which is never not fun. On the Fourth of July I want to be wearing this tankini top, $25.88, and essential hipster, $22.12.

And then, when I hop out of the pool to watch some fireworks, I want to be wearing this Calypso by Christiane Celle Malekai Sarong, $26.95. The red-on-white paisley print and beaded trim on the bottom add a bit of sophistication to your usual sarong. Also, the big size allows some experimentation with tying; my goal for the summer is to figure out how people tie sarongs into halter dresses.